Exploding drone operator goggles show the future of sabotage

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Exploding drone operator goggles show the future of sabotage

Russian drones continue to be a threat to Ukrainian troops, so Ukraine tried an unusual attack to take out the operators piloting the drones.

NICHOLAS SLAYTON
POSTED 5 HOURS AGO

Even with coordinated armor maneuvers, massive artillery strikes and heavy sieges and charges at trench lines, drones remain one of the most potent threats in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. And Ukraine came up with an unusual tactic to deal with them: take out the drone operators. This wasn’t a targeted commando operation or precision strikes; instead Ukraine planted explosives in the first person view goggles drone operators wear.

The goggles, imported into Russia as donated humanitarian aid, would then blow up, taking out the drone pilots. And if they exploded beforehand, they might make Russian troops afraid to wear the gear, which helps them coordinate their drone attacks.

The plot was first reported by Russian state media and confirmed by Ukrainian officials, who also spoke about the plan to the New York Times. According to pro-war Russian Telegram channels, the goggles contained anywhere between 10-15 grams of explosive material, that would detonate when turned on. It’s unclear how many devices were detonated and how many actually made it to the battlefield. Russia has not reported any casualties from the attempt. But the plot shows how sabotage is evolving.

At its core the Ukrainian subterfuge is a sabotage operation, designed to take out enemy ranged weapons. Sabotaging enemy supplies and gear is an old tactic. The technology involved changes but the idea is the same — hurt the enemy’s ability to wage war. After three years of war, Ukraine is continuing to look at ways to weaken the Russian war machine.

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[Martin68]

1. Brilliant propaganda move.

[Phoenix61]

2. How so? Not any different than intercepting pagers. nt

[Martin68]

3. That was brilliant too, but this one didn't actually involve any risk. It is merely a highly effective rumor.

This is the gold standard of subversion and misinformation. Perhaps you aren't aware of how effective a rumor like this can be in demoralization and disruption with little expense in terms of treasury or lives.